Rope Fenders in Action

The rope fenders for Wisdom took much monger than expected! I thought they would take a few days to make and that it would give me something to do in my spare time last winter. The reality is they took up all my time last winter. 

Each fender consumed massive amounts of rope and time, taking almost the entire winter to complete. Instead of being a "spare time project", they were the main project. I still remember staying in a few weekends to work on and finish the rope fenders.  

When the massive sausage shaped behemoths were completed, worry about their weight was frequently asked. They weigh too much for Maddie to lift, so I am forced to bear their full weight. Luckily, being made of rope with hundreds of loops, I can grab on to them in any position; making manhandling them very easy. 

While weight may seem undesirable, I actually wanted them to be quite heavy. I have no desire to store bulky fenders in the lazarettes, so I ended up keeping them on the side decks. 

When we were in strong weather, these fenders would be picked up by the wind and dribbled on the deck like a bunch of basketballs. The constant pounding and smacking would make me want to throw them overboard! The only thing that stopped me was the fact that they are made of plastic and would only add to the already very serious problem of floating plastic debris in our oceans. For these reasons, I wanted to make fenders that were too heavy to float in the wind!  

Now they remain in constant contact with the deck. I am concerned with a boarding wave washing them off, as well as them rolling about the deck when we heel; which is why I tie one of their ends to the toe rail. 

When deploying them, having an end tied is also insurance against loss by dropping them in the water. Being made of solid rope, they do not float. Keeping one end tied ensures that if dropped, it can still be recovered.

Keeping that end tied is also helpful in reducing the amount of weight I need to bear when setting them. I can rest the fender on that tied end while I get it into position. Then the other end is tied to hold the fender at the appropriate height. While each fender is very heavy to dead lift, keeping one end tied to work off of greatly reduces the functional weight. 

I like to set them right on the rub rail. This ensures that the maximum distance between me and the rafted boat next to me will be maintained. My rub rail also extends a few inches (it's wide enough to comfortably walk on) and I would hate for it to shoot over the fender and dig into someone's gel coat. 

For added distance and protection, rafting boats can set their plastic fenders against my rope fenders. This way, none of the boats get hurt and we can all enjoy an afternoon together.  

Tanbark Sails on the Horizon

In a world where everyone motors their sailboat (even to downwind destinations), it's nice to see sails raised on the horizon. These weren't your regular "white triangle" off in the distance though. 

These were tanbark sails! Boosts don't come with tanbark sails, so the owner had to make a deliberate choice to go with tanbark. These tend to be people who actually sail their boat! 

When he got closer, we could see that he also has a cutter rig. As quickly as he appeared on the horizon,  he left just as quietly since we were sailing on opposite courses. 

Snubber

Anchor snubbers are a very important, yet over looked part of ground tackle. Ground tackle, in its simplest form, is the equipment needed to attach the boat to the bottom in a secure manner. 

Most people think of this being anchor and rode. When the rode is rope, this can be the extent of the gear required.  

The rope will offer elasticity in the system, reducing the shock of the boat rising and falling back during rough anchoring conditions.  

When all chain rode is used, as it is preferred due to the increased weight and reduced risk of chafe, more equipment must be included to make the ground tackle system work properly. 

All chain rode offers no direct elasticity, as the chain will not stretch when pulled. It does offer some indirect elasticity, thanks to catenary, which is the parabolic curve that forms in the chain as it travels from your bow roller to the anchor. As the boat pulls back from a large wave pushing on the vessel, the chain will be pulled back under tension. This force them needs to lift the chain up, reducing the catenary as the chain becomes a straight bar. Once the wave passes, the chain will fall once again and catenary will develop again, losing the potential battery for the next shock.  

If the force exceeds the stored elasticity in the catenary chain, a strong lurch of incredible force will develop as the boat is snapped by the taught rode. All of this force can dislodge the anchor, causing it to drag, and damage the deck gear.  

Chain stoppers are easily bent by this amount of load, and risk ripping or if the deck if overloaded. If no chain stopper is present, all of this load is transferred to the windlass gypsy, running the risk of damaging the gypsy and the gearing inside. 

If the bow roller is open, the chain can also fall out of the roller and cause serious damage as it saws on other parts of the boat. If the roller is captive,the chain will not be able to escape, but the forces on the roller are still extremely high!  

The solution to the chains downfall is to use a nylon snubber. The nylon snubber offers the elasticity of nylon rode while the strength and weight of chain is still present everywhere else. The last section, connecting the rode to the boat is then completed in nylon rope.  

The nylon snubber is attached to the chain rode and to the bow cleats, which are very strong and ate designed to take such abuse.  

If the catenary chain is drawn taught, the snubber will still protect all the deck gear while offering elasticity and avoiding the shock load. This also helps ensure the anchor is not lurched and un-set. 

Bow roller design is also unimportant, as the snubbers takes over the last connection to the bow. Open rollers are no longer at risk of losing the chain. Captive rollers are no longer at risk of being bent.  This is all thanks to the nylon snubber.  

As the boat swings around, the nylon snubber pulls on the rode and transfers the force to the cleats. The section of chain between the windlass, chain stopper, and roller, are all slack since all the tension is diverted to the lines of the snubber. 

When it comes to snubbers, I have seen many different styles, but I prefer the simplest for a few reasons that I will go over.  

Connecting the snubber to the chain can be done by chain hook or by knot. Chain hooks are uncredited convenient, simply slip it on the chain as it runs out and cleat the other end. The chain is instantly captured at the end of the snubber. The problem is the hook can easily slip of the chain, rendering the snubber ineffective.  Some companies, like Mantus, have come up with chain hooks that can not easily slip off to negate this problem. The fact that they came up with a better chain hook means that chain hooks were slipping off enough to need improving.  

I prefer to tie a knot at the end of my snubber. A good knot will not slip off of the chain like a chain hook, and will hold securely until untied. I prefer a magnus hitch for my snubber since I use both tails, but a rolling hitches would also work.  

One last advantage to tying the snubber is you result with two tails. A chain hook only has one tail. This means that a chain hook snubber will pull the boat towards the side the snubber is run through. If it runs through the port chock, the boat will be pulled so that the port side is facing the wind and seas. This also means that all the force is directed onto that one chock and cleat. 

When tied, there are two tails, meaning two snubber lines! The lines can be set equally so that the resulting pull is even and the boat faces the weather bow on. This also reduces the force on each snubber line by half, as the load is now shared between both lines. 

On a final note, snubbers should be made of Three Stand Nylon, not double braid nylon. Double braid is not as elastic as three stand, and in a situation where elasticity is desired, choosing the least elastic option would be silly.  

My snubber is 3/4 inch three strand nylon tied with a magnus hitch and secured with both bow cleats, forming a bridle to the chain rode. This may seem like overkill, but it holds us through all sorts of weather and is easy to untie when we are ready to leave.  

Until then, we know our ground tackle is well set. 

Deep Sleep

Morty usually sleeps like this:

He makes a bed out of the sheets in the cockpit and gets cozy on the soft ropes. 

Today he ran around on a beach, then went swimming, then ran around some more! Morty then darted to our dinghy Tooth and hopped in while looking at me. I figured this meant he was done and wanted to return to Wisdom.  

As soon as he got back on the boat, he began looking for a place to sleep. Maddie kept him up while we raised anchor and set off, which apparently pushed him past the point of exhaustion. This is how he went to sleep this time: 

His legs were streched out straight, and he made no effort to make a bed out of rope either. 

He was out cold! 

Waking up in Harness Creek

After a long day of sailing, we made it to Harness Creek. This quiet creek lies around 3 miles up a river that is scattered with shoals and erratic winds. You might ask yourself why we would struggle so much to get here when there are plenty of other creeks on the Chesapeake Bay that are far more accessible. 

Once you experience the peace and tranquility of this creek, you will be willing to struggle and push to make it to this creek! Not a whisper of wind disturbed the waters in this creek, transforming this anchorage into a dream world.

As wonderful as this creek is, it is also a wonderful launching pad to further adventures and journeys.